Buckeye Herps Blog

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Some more good news for things that go bump in the night! Just the other day a women thought she was rescuing an eastern massasauga rattlesnake in Niles, MI, and now surfers are rescuing a great white shark off the coast of California.

This juvenile white shark was caught on a fish line and dragged to shore. While many onlookers were content to just keep back and watch, a few people helped remove the hook and drag the shark back to see.

White sharks use the waters off of southern California as a nursery area. During this time, they are small in size and specialize in eating fish. As they grow older and larger, their tooth structure changes and they start to prey on larger mammals, such as sea lions. White sharks can't breath without moving forward in the water, letting oxygenated water pass over their gills. While this shark looked weak, hopefully it was able to make a full recovery thanks to the help of the men nearby.

It is a reassuring to see a few good stories regarding helping and
saving "deadly" wildlife hit the news recently. As much as I despise
much of the sensationalist crap Animal Planet and other networks call TV
these days, hopefully some of the messages are getting across.

If you haven't be able to see Shark Men on the National Geographic Channel, you should check it out. In my opinion, it is a show that does things mostly right. It focuses on a team of scientists and fisherman that work to try and learn more about Great White Sharks. There are some sensational attributes to it, but it all they go about their jobs safely and efficiently, and seem to be learning new things about these amazing animals from their research. They help to portray sharks in a positive manner and provide up close looks at one of the sea's most mysterious creatures. There is some controversy regarding whether their methods are harmful to the animals, but it seems that most of their research animals are tracked for good lengths of time after, seeming to show that their methods are fairly unobtrusive.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

The Niles Daily Star, the local newspaper for Niles, Michigan, just reported a story of a rattlesnake being found on the property of one of the rural residents of the area. The story is full of wonderful information regarding the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake, Sistrurus catenatus, and the snake has not been killed and will most likely be released back to where it was found. These are all great things, except the snake is really an Eastern Hognose Snake, Heterodon platirhinos. Please read the article that I have linked. I hope they don't mind if I share their picture as well?

Hognose snakes are often confused for massasauga rattlesnakes as they can have similar size and patterns. Although this picture hides the best characteristics with a blurry head and a wood chip over the tail, it is clearly a hognose snake. Massasaugas are typically very young at this size, and have an overall thinner body. The have a well defined neck that tapers down after the head, unlike the "neckless" hognose. Young massasauagas also typically have much more black/white/grey coloration at this age with stark contrast. The tans and creams of this snake would not be seen in massasaugas. If you look closely at the blurry head, you can make out the blunt, short head and upturned nose of a hognose snake. Hognoses are toad specialists and live in sandy environments where they can dig around for their prety.

This midsized hognose from a few years ago looks similar to the snake from Niles.

This is a young eastern massasuaga rattlesnake - note the yellow tail, one segment button of the rattle, contrasting tones and narrow neck.

This is a young eastern massasuaga rattlesnake - note the yellow tail,
one segment button of the rattle, contrasting tones and narrow neck.

Hognose snakes are completely not harmless to humans and will sometimes even put on a great display of "playing dead", rolling on their backs, and laying still with their tongues hanging out.

They will often flatten their heads out, hiss and strike with a closed mouth. This garners a few other common names from locals such as, "puff adder", "spreading adder", "hissing adder" and "cobras".

Either way, the snake is really cool. I commend Ms. Bowles for cherishing Michigan's wildlife and dealing with it in a responsible way. She has helped raised awareness of two of Michigan's periled snakes! These animals can be hard to tell apart, and whenever in doubt if the snake is venomous, it is best to err on the side of caution and keep a safe distance. For more information on telling apart Michigan's venomous and nonvenomous snakes, please visit - Michigan Snake Identification - Venomous or Not?

Rattlers in Niles? | The Niles Star

By Katie Rohman

Published 10:28pm Monday, September 26, 2011A rural Niles resident has captured an unusual but once common native to Michigan wetlands.
Marjorie
Bowles, of 925 Anderson Rd., found an Eastern massasauga rattlesnake
Wednesday in a side yard during an excavation project. A worker helped
Bowles move the snake — just a baby at shorter than a foot long — into a
large plastic tub with water in it. She then contacted the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources.
“It’s not dangerous, (but) you don’t want to play with it,” Bowles said.
Bowles,
who lives with her husband John near a swampy area by Pine Lake, off
M-60, said she has only seen garter snakes on her property, and had to
research what kind of snake it was.
“This is a new one by me,” she said.
Bowles
said she was concerned someone would kill the snake, and wants the
public aware of the species and its declining population. She said she
hopes to release the snake back into its habitat, but was awaiting a
call back from the DNR at press time.
According to the DNR,
massasaugas are classified as “of special concern,” are protected by the
State of Michigan and are a candidate for federal listing. They live in
the entire Lower Peninsula, and were once common but their populations
are declining due to the loss of wetland habitat and human harassment.
Massasaugas
are slow-moving, but may bite if threatened, and can grow to 18 to 30
inches long. They have thick bodies with gray, grayish-brown or brown
coloring. The young snakes have yellow buttons, or “rattles,” at the tip
of their tails. The adult rattles are grayish yellow and resemble corn
kernels.
If bitten by a massasauga, the DNR advises seeking medical
attention immediately. The snakes are venomous, but possess the least
toxic venom of any rattlesnake in the U.S.
If a massasauga is
spotted, the DNR recommends not picking it up, using caution and
submitting the sighting to
www.dnr.state.mi.us/wildlife/pubs/massasauga_obsreport.asp.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

I am contacted by many people each year asking for help to identify snakes they find in their yard. Many are just curious as to what animals call their yard home, or what they saw while camping. I would be lying if I didn't mention that most just really want to know if they are in danger and often adopt the approach of "shovel first, questions later". Is it "poisonous" or venomous is more often than not top of the list of questions they ask. My hope is that this will address some of those questions and help provide a place for others to ask their questions and contact me more easily if needed.

If you don't care if it is venomous, still feel free to leave comments or contact me as directed below. You may look at the pictures under the Reptiles tab to try and figure out what snake you have seen.

Ohio Venomous Snakes

Ohio has three species of venomous snake. That is three species out of the twenty five snake species that call Ohio home. They are the eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus), the northern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortix) and the timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus). Unfortunately, due to habitat loss, road mortality and persecution, both the timber rattlesnake and massasauaga rattlesnake are listed as state endangered species and can only be found in very specific locations in the state. It is highly unlikely that most Ohioans will ever encounter these animals.

Here are some general rules for identification when you are looking at a snake in front of you. These rules only apply to Ohio and snakes that can be found in the wild.

1. Vertical pupil vs round pupil - All of Ohio's venomous snakes have vertical, cat-like, pupils. Ohio's nonvenomous snakes do not. Again, outside of Ohio, there are snakes that do not follow these rules. Here are pictures of all three of Ohio's venomous snakes that clearly depict the vertical pupil.

Timber Rattlesnake

Copperhead

Massasauga Rattlesnake

And a nonvenomous snake, the eastern milksnake. This snake is commonly confused for a copperhead or massasauga rattlesnake.

2. Presence of a facial pit - All of Ohio's venomous snakes are pitvipers. They have a heat-seeking pit that helps them localize their prey. The are ambush predators, and will sit and wait for a small rodent to run by, sometimes at night, and their pits help them hunt. Ohio's nonvenomous snakes do not have these heat-seeking pits.

Timber Rattlesnake - pit is easily visible to the left and below the eye, just like in the above drawing.

Massasauga Rattlesnake

Copperhead

Northern Watersnake, nonvenomous - note the lack of a vertical pupil or pit. These are often confused for copperheads.

3. Divided anal plate and double tail ventral scales after the cloaca vs single anal plate and tail ventral scales after the cloaca. In normal terms, the nonvenomous snakes have a split or divided scale that covers their cloaca. The cloaca is the opening (butt) of the snake where feces (poop) is excreted. The scales after the anal scale will also be divided or doubled. Venomous snakes of Ohio have a single anal scale and single scales after. I will obtain pictures of anal scales soon, but please refer to the above figure.

4. Presence of rattle - Two of Ohio's three venomous snakes are rattlesnakes and have a rattle that produces a loud noise. I will be sure to record one soon as well for you to listen to. This is not as easy as it seems, as most other nonvenomous snakes will rattle their tails in leaves to mimic the rattling sound. Also, their copperhead will also rattle it's tail, although it does not have a rattle. Finally, young rattlesnakes just have one segment of rattle, or a button, and their tails will not make noise. If you see a rattle, or hear a rattle, it is best to just walk away.

Timber Rattlesnake rattle

Massasauga Rattlesnake, with large rattle, saying "Stay Away"

Massasauga Rattlesnake, neonate or baby, with single button

5. Triangular head vs Rounded head - It is true venomous snakes often will have a triangular head. Many nonvenomous snakes will flatten their neck and change their shape slightly to look more triangular.

Timber Rattlesnake - displaying the triangular head shape

Northern Watersnake with a fairly triangular head

Eastern Hognose Snake showing a triangular head

Remember, most of these snakes have specific habitat preferences and
needs. They are not found all over the state. Just because a snake
lives in Ohio, does not mean it lives in your area as well. If you draw a line from Cincinnati to Cleveland, a very general rule is that Massasauga Rattlesnakes occur sporadically in the NW half of the state, while Timber Rattlesnakes and Copperheads occur only in the rocky, hilly region in the SE half of the state.

Now, you are probably reading this and saying "BuckeyeHerper, you are crazy if I am ever going to be close enough to a snake to look it in the eye, or lift it's tail to check the butt." I agree completely, but I do not feel this is a reason to kill the snake. If you aren't sure, just keep a safe distance and leave the snake alone. Luckily snakes are not as aggressive as people typically think they are. They will run more often than not. If they do happen to stand their ground, you can very easily walk away or around them without any worry. If you are comfortable, everyone has a digital camera or cell phone these days, and it is easy to take a quick picture from a safe distance. You can then compare your picture with pictures on this and other websites, or email it to me or others for assistance.

Again, if you aren't sure, just keep your distance. These snakes are very rarely encountered, and chances are you have just found one of the more common nonvenomous snakes. Despite what you might have heard, Ohio also does not have any cottonmouth, or water moccasins. The closest populations are hundreds of miles away.

If you have any further questions, or want to share pictures or stories, please feel free to leave a comment below or email me at foltjr AT gmail.com .

Sunday, September 18, 2011

I am contacted by many people each year asking for help to identify snakes they find in their yard. Many are just curious as to what animals call their yard home, or what they saw while camping. I would be lying if I didn't mention that most just really want to know if they are in danger and often adopt the approach of "shovel first, questions later". Is it "poisonous" or venomous is more often than not top of the list of questions they ask. My hope is that this will address some of those questions and help provide a place for others to ask their questions and contact me more easily if needed.

If you don't care if it is venomous, still feel free to leave comments or contact me as directed below. You may look at the pictures under the Reptiles tab to try and figure out what snake you have seen.

Michigan Venomous Snakes

Michigan only has one species of venomous snake. That is one species out of the eighteen snake species that call Michigan home. It is the eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus). Unfortunately, due to habitat loss, road mortality and persecution, the massasauaga rattlesnake is listed as a species of special concern and can only be found in very specific locations in the state. These snakes are small, and very secretive. It is highly unlikely that most Michiganders will ever encounter these animals. They are also not present at all in the Upper Peninsula.

Here are some general rules for identification when you are looking at a snake in front of you. These rules only apply to Michigan and snakes that can be found in the wild.

And a nonvenomous snake, the eastern milksnake. This snake is commonly confused for a massasauga rattlesnake.

2. Presence of a facial pit - The Massasauga Rattlesnake is a pitviper. They have a heat-seeking pit that helps them localize their prey. The are ambush predators, and will sit and wait for a small rodent to run by, sometimes at night, and their pits help them hunt. Michigan's nonvenomous snakes do not have these heat-seeking pits.

Massasauga Rattlesnake

Northern Watersnake, nonvenomous - note the lack of a vertical pupil or pit

3. Divided anal plate and double tail ventral scales after the cloaca vs single anal plate and tail ventral scales after the cloaca. In normal terms, the nonvenomous snakes have a split or divided scale that covers their cloaca. The cloaca is the opening (butt) of the snake where feces (poop) is excreted. The scales after the anal scale will also be divided or doubled. Venomous snakes of Michigan have a single anal scale and single scales after. I will obtain pictures of anal scales soon, but please refer to the above figure.

4. Presence of rattle - The Massasauga Rattlesnake has a rattle that produces a loud noise. I will be sure to record one soon as well for you to listen to. This trait is not as easy as it seems, as most other nonvenomous snakes will rattle their tails in leaves to mimic the rattling sound. Also, young rattlesnakes just have one segment of rattle, or a button, and their tails will not make noise. If you see a rattle, or hear a rattle, it is best to just walk away.

Massasauga Rattlesnake, with large rattle, saying "Stay Away"

Massasauga Rattlesnake, neonate or baby, with single button

5. Triangular head vs Rounded head - It is true venomous snakes often will have a triangular head. Many nonvenomous snakes will flatten their neck and change their shape slightly to look more triangular.

Northern Watersnake with a fairly triangular head

Eastern Hognose Snake showing a triangular head

Remember, massasauga rattlesnakes have specific habitat preferences and
needs. They are not found all over the state. They are small, secretive snakes, typically associated with wetland areas, swamps, bogs and fens.

Now, you are probably reading this and saying "BuckeyeHerper, you are crazy if I am ever going to be close enough to a snake to look it in the eye, or lift it's tail to check the butt." I agree completely, but I do not feel this is a reason to kill the snake. If you aren't sure, just keep a safe distance and leave the snake alone. Luckily snakes are not as aggressive as people typically think they are. They will run more often than not. If they do happen to stand their ground, you can very easily walk away or around them without any worry. If you are comfortable, everyone has a digital camera or cell phone these days, and it is easy to take a quick picture from a safe distance. You can then compare your picture with pictures on this and other websites, or email it to me or others for assistance.

Again, if you aren't sure, just keep your distance. These snakes are very rarely encountered, and chances are you have just found one of the more common nonvenomous snakes. Despite what you might have heard,Michigan also does not have any cottonmouth, water moccasins or copperheads.

If you have any further questions, or want to share pictures or stories, please feel free to leave a comment below or email me at foltjr AT gmail.com .

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

While I see a quite a few massasauga rattlesnakes every year, I have still yet to see a melanistic one. Melanism is a genetic trait that causes individuals to express a higher amount of melanin (dark pigment) from the melanocytes in the skin. Some species, such as garter snakes, hognose snakes and massasauga rattlesnakes for example, are known for individuals who are melanistic, or basically completely black. Interestingly, the young animals are often normally patterned and they darken as they age. Usually, one or two dark individual will turn up here and there, but for unknown reasons, some populations have a much higher percentage of melanistic individuals. For massausagas, NE Ohio is known for this. I have been lucky enough to see melanistic garter snakes (I blogged about it here previously) and hognoses, but am still searching for my first jet black massasauga.

Eastern Garter Snake Thamnophis sirtalis, melanistic

Eastern Hognose Snake Heterodon platirhinos

I had yet to actually go to one of the places known for a high number of melanistic saugas, and I just hoped and figured if I continued to spend time in the field and observe the animals one would turn up. This spring I spent a bunch of time targeting the snakes near their hibernaculums in the spring. Imagine my great suprise when I finally saw this...

near melanistic Massasauga Rattlesnake Sistrurus catenatus

The chocolate hues of this snake were very striking.

Nick Scobel had mentioned he had seen a fully black melanistic animal from nearby a few days earlier. I spent some time exploring the close area a few days later and spotted this animal from a few meters away.

Ahh so close. We are fairly certain this is the same animal that Nick saw, it was likely just dirtier previously.

Now I had the fever. I heard about a volunteer opportunity at a great fen system in Michigan with 75% melanistic sauga population. I was able to make it one of the days before I left for Arizona and I was ready for my black swamp snapper. Of course, my group finds only patterned individuals, while the other groups found only melanistics...

So unfortunately, this quest is not over. I could have photographed some of the other animals found that day, but my heart wasn't in it without finding them in the field. There is still some time left, but work is busy, so I have a feeling this goal will be carrying over to 2012. Alas, how fast the field season passes you by...

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Carl woke up an hour early again (thanks Iphone/ATT). My alarm hadn't gone off and I didn't question him and started getting ready. I realized my mistake a few minutes later and lay back down. Poor Carl had been up for a while, had his coffee and was stuck waiting for us to catch some more z's.

We were still on the road pretty early, and attempted some morning roadcruising for a few hours. It was unfortunately less than productive. We saw DOR coachwhip, whiptails and a hit mohave. We were hoping for desert box turtles, hognoses and horned lizards. We enjoyed a relaxed all you can eat breakfast at a truck stop that was actually quite good before setting off for the Tuscon airport. Brian and I bid Carl a good day and set out for our next leg.

We arrived at a place Carl and I had luck at on the previous trip later that afternoon. We were feeling lazy and there were some road issues so we hung our during the heat until a couple hours before dusk.

Elegant Earless Lizard Holbrookia elegans

Brian is probably less than thrilled about this picture...

Not all was lost as a good sized gopher was crossing the road slowly.

We tried hiking some talus for an hour without much luck, and then met up with an old friend from the midwest, Terry C. Terry had lived in Ohio and Michigan, so we had met up a few times over the years and I was bummed he moved to Arizona about the time I moved to Michigan. We roadcruised with Terry for a few hours some luck, all actually before dark.

This large atrox was crossing the road very near the gopher snake.

As well as this very large, and attractive molossus that was crossing the road just at dusk.

We cruising for a few more hours after dusk without any luck. Oddly, it seemed to be great conditions and we know things were moving...

Brian and I slept on the mountain, one last night under the stars. It was a great night, but I had ants crawling over me most of the time which made it a little hard to sleep soundly. Luckily, it was very easy to get up early and we were soon on the road. We had decided to try another new range for us, with the hope to get twinspots for Brian and to try and take another stab at cerberus. I refused to give up. On the way up the forest road that morning I commented how excellent the boulders looked for a basking collared lizard. It wasn't a few minutes later that I spotted one.

Eastern Collared Lizard Crotaphytus collaris

It was a first for both of us and we were pretty excited about this. We hiked a small canyon with running water and were pleased to see the abundance of lizards that were out.

Gila Spotted Whiptail Aspidoscelis flagellicauda

I had just caught up to Brian after stopping to photograph the lizards when he yelled snake and dove. He looked defeated on the ground as I ran up to him. Evidently I spooked the snake back to him and a little half dive from the ground (heroic some might say) by him provided a new species for the trip!

Striped Whipsnake Coluber taeniatus

We hiked a bit more with just a few more lizards so we decided to head up the mountains. Walking out near a small talus slide at high elevation quickly turned up the 9th rattlesnake species of the trip. I was glad Brian spotted this one.

Price's Rattlesnake or Twin-spotted Rattlesnake Crotalus pricei as spotted by Brian in situ

We checked some more of the rocks in the morning sun and were suprised to not see more. Feeling real good, with 2 of our 3 planned targets for the day down, we decided to head back down a little lower in elevation. We enjoyed the nice weather and great vistas with sammiches and a cold beverage. We found a nice hillside a bit lower and we worked it hard for those pesky Arizona Blacks I keep talking about. I spotted another whipsnake but we let it continue on its way.

Acorn Woodpecker

We noticed nasty storm clouds on the horizon and dust storms blowing across the desert and we called it quits to make some decisions... We could stay here and take our chances with rain all around and probably have crappy cruising with rapidly falling temperatures, or we could head back to Tuscon, try to out run the rain and hope for drier conditions. Our plan was to head home to Phoenix from here tomorrow, and Tuscon is a bit out of the way. We checked some satellite imagery, and opted for the drive. The race. was. on. We hauled it to the freeway and headed to the location we had hiked a few days earlier with Carl hoping for cerbs. We we had tried to roadcruise the area that night there had been tons of rain and we of course didn't see much. Well we got to our road an hour before dusk with great temps, dry conditions and thunderstorms all in the distance. Of course, on the first pass through all of our persistence and hard work payed off and I went beserk.

Arizona Black Rattlesnake Crotalus cerberus or "cerb"

Do you love it? I do...

We cruised another pass or two without any luck and decided to try a little bit lower. Still no luck. I didn't care. We decided to just book it to Phoenix for a good nights sleep in comfy clean beds and relaxing day before flying back. Of course I couldn't resist hitting a road on the way home and stirring up another sidewinder.

It was a little tough getting home when the highs of the day wore off. Evidently I swerved once on the highway when Brian was sleeping and got pulled over again. Carl got a speeding ticket earlier in the trip and we had talked with so many border patrol agents by this time. Many encounters were very reasonable, but we had our cars searched twice at check points, once with the full over with the drug dog. Anyway, this cop was talking to me about swerving and I just mentioned I was tired after a week of camping. He said "smells like you guys have been camping for a week!" That was enjoyable...

The last day Brian and I were lazy and hung around the house and swam in the pool. We had some friends over for a beer and some homemade tacos, which really hit the spot. I couldn't drag Brian out for one last night, so Marisa and I tried roadcruising around near the house and where we had luck earlier in the trip.

More blacktail! Crotalus molossus

Red-spotted Toad Bufo punctatus

We unfortunately also found a DOR gila monster. I was bummed thinking it might be the last herp of a really great trip, but I soon spotted this large king crossing the road in a cool and damp area.

California Kingsnake Lampropeltis getula

We were working our way back and I decided to try cruising through a neighborhood I think should have tigers (rattlesnakes of course). I accidently turned up a driveway instead of a road and payed visit to a multimillion dollar house. 45 seconds later on the way back down I saw a flattened gila monster in the middle of the driveway. Mortified that I had been the one to hit it, I was very pleased to see it start to move off the road.

I wish I could brag that was the last herp of the trip, but we also saw a stinking gopher snake right by the house. All in all, it was an amazing trip. There was great company, highs and lows, and awesome animals. It was a pleasure to to spend time with Carl and Brian again, as well as run into some old friends in Mike, Terry and Marisa. I can't wait to do it all again another time. There are still tons of animals to see!

Buckeye Herper

I spend as much time outdoors and viewing wildlife as often as possible. While pursuing these activities, photography has grown into a passion of mine. The Buckeye Herps Blog is my attempt to chronicle my adventures which started in Ohio, continue in Michigan, and take me all over the country and the world.